The Journey
by dangerdonut
Summary: A Volkevens fic starting from the time they first met. The chapters will alternate between Rita and Katie's perspective.
1. Chapter 1

_A Volkevens fic starting from the time they first met. The chapters will alternate between Rita and Katie's perspective._

**Rita**

When I first walked into the audition waiting room, I had no idea how much my life was about to change. I wish I could say this is a story about my career, but it's more than that. It's a story of how I came to be who I am today. It's not just a story about meeting someone and falling in love, and everything is suddenly beautiful and perfect. Finding her was just the beginning of everything. What came after flipped my world upside down and made me question everything about myself.

I found the audition completely by accident a few days before it happened. In all honesty, I was going to take a break from looking for work. It was exhausting constantly auditioning and never getting any roles. I knew I was talented, I knew I had what it takes, I just didn't know how to get _them_ to see it. My friend called me up before the audition. He told me he saw an ad about it and asked if I was interested. Two girls pretending to be lesbians to become popular sounded anything but tasteful. But for whatever reason, it caught my attention, like there might have been more to the story, so I decided to go for it.

The first day of read-throughs didn't go very well. I decided to read for the part of "Karma" and they didn't call me back into the room once. Part of the reason probably had to due with the fact that I _really_ had to pee, but apparently some girl had locked the bathroom key inside the bathroom. Not really a great start. "Whatever," I thought. "There goes that part." Just as I was getting ready to leave, someone asked me if I could read for the part of "Amy" tomorrow. I figured it would double my chances, so I said yes.

The next day was the day I met Katie. She was auditioning for the role of Karma too, but I tried to be as nice as I could. I wasn't emotionally invested enough in this role to be too competitive. Besides, I was reading for Amy too. I sat down next to Katie as she tried to fan herself. "Man, it is _hot_ in here," she said as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Are you sweating? I'm sweating."

"Not really, actually," I said, a smile creeping across my face. She had this energy about her that was contagious.

"Well, I'm sweating _profusely_. They really need to turn the AC up. God, it's like they're trying to sweat us all out."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I'm Rita," I said.

"Katie. Are you auditioning for Karma too?"

"Yep. Guess you're competition, huh?"

"Guess so. Well, I suppose I'll try to be civil about this," she said sarcastically.

"Can you save my seat?" I asked as I stood up. "I just have to go to the bathroom really quick."

"Sure thing, Rita."

"Did you hear about that girl who locked the key in the bathroom yesterday?" I laughed as I rolled my eyes.

"That… Um, that was me," Katie said before shutting her eyes. "I shouldn't have admitted that right away. I should have waited to hear all the bad things you were gonna say about me first," she smirked.

"It's okay," I laughed again. "I wasn't gonna say anything bad, I just thought it was funny."

We ended up getting called in later for a chemistry test. Turns out I worked better as an Amy. They had the other potential Amys read through the script with Katie before I did. When I finally read through a scene with Katie, we killed it. For two people who had just met that day, we already had amazing on screen chemistry. By that point, it was pretty obvious that Katie had gotten the part, but they asked us both to come back in the next day for another read through. We left at the same time and she walked me out to my car.

"They totally love us!" Katie said excitedly.

"I know! We were so good together! You definitely got the part. For sure. They love you as Karma."

"Oh, stop. You were a great Amy. I really hope you get the part, Rita," she smiled at me.

"It would be nice," I said, approaching my car. "Well, here's my stop."

"Alright," Katie said, turning around. "See you tomorrow."

"Wait, didn't you park over here?" I asked.

"Nah, I parked in the other lot. I just wanted to get to know you a little better," she shot me a toothy smile.

"Well, thanks," I laughed. "See ya."

She waved as she walked over to the other parking lot. I stared a little too long and I couldn't figure out why. There was something about her; the way she spoke with so much energy, the way she always seemed to be smiling even when she wasn't, and the way she made me feel like I've known her for years. It was just so intoxicating.

I had never kissed a girl before, for whatever reason. It's not that I never wanted to, I had always been curious, but it was never a strong enough desire to go out and make it happen. I figured I wasn't missing out on much. Katie and I killed the second read through, and the directors were impressed. They asked us to kiss as part of the second chemistry read.

"Oh, um. Okay," I said.

"What's the matter? Never kissed a girl before?" Katie asked sarcastically.

"No. Have you?"

"Duh. Well, when I was drunk."

The directors continued to watch our banter as they waited for us to kiss. We joked around a little more to break the tension, and Katie went in for it first. It was aggressive and overly sexual, too much for television as the directors would soon tell us. "Stop, stop, stop," we heard one of the directors say as we pulled apart and looked at him. "You need to tone it down. A lot." We started laughing partially out of embarrassment and partially because of how awkward the situation was. Something about it was just _really_ funny. I looked at Katie, still smiling, a jolt of confidence rushing through me. I gently grabbed her face and pulled her in, gently kissing her. Our lips molded together perfectly and I let myself fall into it. I felt a rush of electricity flow through me that I had never quite felt before. She tasted like strawberries and I felt like I could have kissed her for hours. "Good," the director shouted, forcing us to pull apart. I looked in her eyes as we pulled apart and I swear I saw something that wasn't there before.

"Alright, that's all we need to see. Thanks girls," the director said as we looked in every direction but in front of us. She walked me to my car again when we left.

"You're totally gonna get the part," she nudged me with her elbow. "I mean, if I get the part, you're totally gonna get the part. We have great chemistry."

I couldn't stop myself from smiling. "Yeah, we do, don't we?"

"Plus, it helps that you're super hot," she gave me a playful smile. "And you smell like roses. That never hurts."

"Yeah well, you're not too bad yourself," I nudged her back.

"Some of the Amys that auditioned… I could not see myself making out with them honestly. Is that shallow? I just really want you to get the part."

"Nah, it's not shallow. I wouldn't really want anyone else to be Karma either." We approached my car. "Do you want me to give you a lift to your car? It's pretty far away," I asked.

"Yeah, that would be great, thanks," Katie smiled as she got in. She immediately turned on my radio and started singing along as I pulled out.

"Whoa, killer voice," I said. "Ever consider being a singer?"

"I am!" she said proudly. "Ever heard of American Idol?"

"Yeah, you should totally audition for that," I said obliviously.

"I kind of did. Made it to the top nine, it was this whole… thing."

"Wait, are you serious?" I looked over at her.

"Yeah, look me up. I'm kind of a big deal," she joked as I turned into the other parking lot. "Oh, there's my car. Thanks for the ride, Rita. I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah, I hope you do," my face was starting to hurt from smiling so much.

"Bye," she waved as she walked to her car. Her scent still lingered in my car and I lost myself in it for a few seconds. I figured at the time it was an innocent girl crush, but this girl was about to take over every inch of my mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Katie**

The three days after the second callback were agonizing. I regretted not asking for Rita's number so we could agonize together, but that might have come off as a little bit needy. I tried to do everything in my power to distract myself from the fact that I didn't know if I had gotten the part or not. At first, I was sure I had, but as the time passed I became less and less confident. The phone finally rang and I answered it on the first ring, not caring how eager it sounded.

"H-hello? This is- um, Katie Stevens," I stumbled over my words nervously.

"Katie? Hi, it's Carter," I heard from the other end. "We were just wondering if you would be interested in playing the part of Karma on MTV's Faking It."

"Yes!" I answered immediately. "Yes, yes, yes!"

"Alright," he laughed, "we picked an Amy, Shane, and Lauren, but we're still trying to find a Liam. We would need you all to come back tomorrow to test with all of them."

"Yeah I can definitely do that! Oh my god, thank you. Who, um, who got Amy?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Who did you choose as Amy?"

"Oh, this Rita.. Volk person."

I smiled like an idiot to myself. "Good choice, Carter."

"I'm glad you're happy, because you two are gonna be spending a lot of time together. It's important that all of you get along tomorrow."

"That definitely won't be a problem. See you then."

He gave me the details for the time and location before hanging up. I _really_ wished I had gotten Rita's number. I barely slept at all that night, I was so excited. I woke up early the next morning and got ready for my first official day of work. When I arrived, my eyes darted around for Rita. I found her standing over by my new cast mates.

"Katie!" she said excitedly when I started walking towards her. "I'm so happy you got the part!" She hugged me and quietly said, "I knew you'd get Karma."

"I knew you'd get Amy," I smiled back. I introduced myself to my other new cast mates before we went through a few more tests. They brought in a few guys for Liam for me to do chemistry tests with, and all the tests went pretty smoothly. We finished around lunchtime, and I looked around for Rita.

"Hey, you," I smiled. "Would you like to get some lunch with me?"

"I'd love to," she said. We walked out to my car and she pulled out her phone. "Please put your number in here. I'm an idiot and forgot to ask for it the other day. I really wanted to call you when I found out we both got the part."

I took her phone and smiled. "I was gonna ask for it the other day, but I didn't want to come across as needy."

"That's not needy. We're friends, right? We better be friends if I have to make out with you every week," she laughed.

"Yeah, we're friends," I shot her a big smile. "I just come on a little strong sometimes, I didn't want to scare you away."

"Really? I already like you a lot. Is that weird to say? I can just tell we're gonna get along."

I really, really liked Rita. It was impossible not to. She was such a charmer, I could tell we were going to be really good friends. "That's not weird to say at all. I agree. I'm just so glad you got the part," I unlocked my car. "Wait, so, you asked who got the part of Karma when you found out you got Amy?" I asked.

"Well, yeah. I wanted to make sure it was you," Rita smiled as she got into my car.

I stood outside my car for a few seconds smiling like an idiot. Making such a strong connection with someone this fast was rare. "It's just funny," I said as I got in. "I asked if you got the part too."

"Well, I would hope so," she said sarcastically. "Where do you want to go for lunch?"

"I was thinking about this little bistro, I don't know what it's called. It's like, five minutes from here. It's really good. Interested?"

"Any place that has food is good with me." I started the car and put on the radio. I couldn't help to start singing along to whatever was playing. Rita kept looking over at me during the ride over.

"Sorry, I'll stop," I said. "It's just hard not to sing when there's music."

"No! No, don't stop," she reassured me. "You just have a really great voice." I looked over to see her smiling at me.

"Okay," I smiled. "If it gets annoying, just let me know."

"It won't," she said. I continued to sing along until we got to the restaurant, Rita glancing over at me every few seconds. I would have felt judged by anyone but her. There was something so calming about her presence, like she was the type of person to never say anything bad about you. I was happy she was going to be in my life for a while.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rita**

I couldn't help but feel intoxicated by Katie during the car ride. I had never before been in the vicinity of someone who sang so beautifully. It was incredible, really, to be sitting next to someone belting it out like Adele when she wasn't even trying. She noticed that I kept looking at her, but I couldn't help myself. She looked so confident, so sure of herself. The sun was radiating off her auburn hair and her scent filled the entire car. I felt absolutely intoxicated by every part of her, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It felt like going on a long vacation and finally coming home.

I must have lost track of time, because we arrived at the restaurant sooner than I expected. Katie wasn't kidding, it really was a very small bistro. I shot her a look and she smirked back, almost reading my mind. "I told you it was small. It's fine, we can eat outside. It's a nice day," she smiled and looped her arm around mine. We ordered our food and returned outside, sitting on the trunk of her car as we unwrapped our sandwiches and ate in comfortable silence. Eventually, I broke the silence. "It really is a beautiful day. This is nice."

Katie wrinkled her nose and smiled at me, "This is nice."

"Do you ever get a really good feeling about something?"

"What do you mean, Rita?"

"Like, this job, for example. I just have a good feeling about it. I think it's gonna work out."

Katie looked down at her food for a few seconds. "We haven't even been picked up for a season yet."

"I know, I know. I'm crazy, okay? But I really think that this is going to work. Everything's going too perfect not to."

"Don't jinx it," she nudged me. "I know what you mean though. I have a good feeling too."

"Really?"

"I do," she chimed.

I was almost too excited to finish my sandwich. I was elated and I couldn't figure out why this girl was making me feel like there was a fire in my stomach. In twenty-two years, I had never felt quite like this. I just knew I wanted to spend more time with her. I was worried it would come across as needy, but we were hitting it off so well, I broke the silence once again.

"Hey, um, we have the day off tomorrow. I was just wondering if you wanted to maybe come over for a movie night? Get to know each other a little better?" Katie looked up at me and laughed a little bit. I immediately backtracked, "sorry, that's probably weird," as I nervously laughed.

"No, I was just thinking how surprisingly great we're getting along. I just didn't expect this."

"Me neither," I beamed. "So is that a yes?"

"Shoot, you know what? I can't. Tomorrow's date night."

My stomach dropped. "Oh, yeah, it's cool. So, who's the lucky guy?"

"My boyfriend, Paul." _Boyfriend. _"Do you listen to Boys Like Girls?"

"Sorry, what?" I didn't catch the last part of what she said, for some reason I couldn't even focus on my own words now.

"Boys Like Girls. You know, the band."

"Oh," I laughed. She was looking at me like she expected me to answer a question. "Sorry, I've never heard of them."

"Jeez, Rita. First you didn't know how famous I am, and now you're saying you've never heard of my boyfriend's band?" Katie said sarcastically and I forced out a laugh. Her smile faded and she furrowed her brow as she took a more serious tone. "Is something wrong?"

"What? Oh, no. Sorry, I think I just ate too fast." By the expression on her face it was pretty clear she knew I was lying, but she gave me the benefit of the doubt.

"Happens to me all the time, don't worry about it," she giggled as my face was no doubt turning an unattractive shade of red. The silence returned as she finished her sandwich and I laid back on her trunk and squinted at the sky. My mind had gone from blissfully racing to barely alert, and I couldn't figure out why. It felt like something had been stolen from me, though I knew I was being ridiculous. I felt like an eight year old throwing a tantrum on Christmas because I didn't get the toy I wanted. Luckily, Katie didn't question it as she hopped off the trunk brushing the crumbs off of her hands. "Think you can tough out your tummy ache and go back to work?" she teased me.

"I better be able to," I regarded. "I think they'd fire me if I called in sick the first real day."

"You're gonna have to get off the trunk, then," she smirked.

"But I'm so comfy! And I'm in the sun. I need a tan."

"Alright, I guess we do have a few more minutes to kill." She hopped back up next to me and lied down. It was her turn to steal glances when she thought I wasn't looking. Around the fourth time I caught her, but she didn't look away.

"What?" I asked, a smirk escaping me.

"I'm glad I know you."

I stared at her for a few seconds before I responded. Katie was indescribable. She had me hanging on her every word, her every action. I'd known her for less than a week and I was already completely wrapped up in every part of her. "I'm glad I know you," I smiled.

"And, I want to know you for a long time," she continued.

"Oh, do you?"

"Mhmm," she nodded, "I do. So we should probably make sure we're not late for our new job together."

"That's probably a good idea," I beamed uncontrollably. "Alright," I groaned as I slid off her trunk and onto the ground. She glanced over at me and started laughing. "What?" I asked.

"Rita, your hair," she giggled, unable to contain herself. I patted the back of my head, realizing that sliding down the trunk of her car probably wasn't the best idea. "Here, let me help you," she said, turning me around and attempting to fix the mess I created. "There," she smiled, turning me around once more and adjusting my hair in the front. "All better," she said as her hand brushed my cheek and my breath hitched. She slid her hands down my arms as they fell from my face as she walked around to the driver's seat.

I quickly took the front seat and was met by the same scent of vanilla that greeted me before. Her car was my new favorite place in the entire world, she had it for so long that it smelled just like her. We drove back to the studio as we repeated what would now be our new ritual: Katie singing along to the radio while I not-so-subtly glance over every few seconds.


End file.
